Human rights have become an increasingly important international issue since World War II. Unfortunately, governments and policy makers haven't always seen human rights issues as a priority. Rein Mullerson defines human rights diplomacy as the use of foreign policy instruments in order to promote human rights as well as the use of human rights issues for the sake of other foreign policy aims. The book covers topics such as the relationship between human rights and international stability, the conundrum of cultural relativism, the use of force to settle human rights issues and how violations can be prevented.